A ready-made business case to help persuade key decision makers of the merits
of taking part in the service is available below. This business case was sent to all Chiefs and Heads of Service at the beginning of December 2008.
Additional service benefits that you get from participating rather than just linking are:
service participation used as an effective training tool not
just for IT, but for reference skills, searching and using qualatative
date and good customer service.
a heightened awareness by
staff of electronic subscriptions, thereby increasing staff awareness
of the subscriptions and then the ability to better help your citizens.
ability to have local questions referred within the software to enable citizens to be serviced by their own library staff.
making every customer contact count as all referrals can be rtacked within the software and queries can be sent anywhere within the council for a reply. These can all be tracked to ensure there is a full customer contact audit.
the
ability to create adhoc as well as permanebt local chat or email services - authorities have been incredibly innovative and to date have conducte:
Ask an Author
Ask a Councillor
Ask a Communications Director (for internal council staff)
Ask a Chief Executive (as yet,, sadly no Ask a Chief Librarian)
Ask and Environmental Officer
Ask a Music and Drama Librarian
Ask a Genealogist (some involving volunteer groups)
Homework Helper services
Full time complimentary local chat services
Local ask sessions in conjunction with other departments and Age Concern
There are many additional benefits to be gained from participation in the service, rather than linking for free.
Information for Managers 2008-2009
Tavistock Report